Safety razor



Sept. 27, 1932. R THQMPSQQ 1,879,961

SAFETY RAZOR Filed NOV. 1'7, 1930 ahvantoz O Fa 4 57710111 48 Patented Sept. 27, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RALPH E. THOMPSON, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNO R TO GILLETTE SAFETY RAZOR COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION-OF DELAWARE SAFETY RAZOR Application filed November 17, 1930. Serial No. 496,167.

. This invention relates to safety razors, and relates more particularly to means for adjusting the degree of exposure of the sharpened edges of blades for Gillette type safety razors.

An object of the invention is to provide a safety razor blade which may be positioned to give a high or low shaving edge exposure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety razor blade with a layer of shock absorbing material near the shaving edges.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety razor blade with a layer of shock absorbing material near the shaving edges, which will also serve to change the degree of edge exposure of the blade, according to the way the blade is placed in the razor. The ordinary safety razor has its guard and cap member so placed with reference to the sharpened edge of the blade that, without varying the clamping pressure, only one degree of edge exposure is available. .VVith such razors, no adjustment can be had to afford a close or acoarse shave, except by loosening the connection of the cap and guard.

Accordingto one feature of this invention, a razor blade is provided which has a raised portion adjacent or effective in relation to one or more of its cutting edges, which, when the blade is placed in one position in the razor, with the projecting portion in contact with the cap of the razor, is depressed to give a decreased edge exposure, and when placed in another position in the razor, with the raised portion in contact with the guard of the razor, gives an increased edge exposure.

According to another feature of the inven- 40 tion, the raised portion may be a layer of rubber, or similar material, which yields variably during the clamping of the blade in its holder to provide for a very precise adjustment of the edge exposure, according to 45 the degree of clamping action.

The invention will now beexplained with reference to'the drawing, of which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a safety razor blade, according to this invention, with astrip of rubber, or other material, lying parallel to and just to the rear of the shaving edges of the blade;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the lines 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the stripson one side of the blade;

Fig. 3 is an end sectional View of a safety razor blade having a flexible strip adjacent one edge of the blade and on one side of the blade, and with another raised strip on the opposite side of the blade;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a safety razor blade, according to this invention, with the strips of rubber or. other material running transverse of the blade at the ends of the cutting edges; 7 I

Fig. 5 is an end view of the blade shown by Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of ablade, according to this invention, in which the raised portions are formed as integral ribs in the blade;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view along the lines 7-7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an end sectional view of a blade with one raised projection adj acent one cutting edge on one side of the blade, and with another raised projection on the other side- Of the blade adjacent the opposite cutting ed e.

Tteferring now to Fig. 1 of the drawing, the razor blade 20, there shown, is a thin flexible blade provided on one side and just to the rear of the cutting edges with the raised strips of material 21 which are deposited on or otherwise suitably secured to the surface of the blade. This type of blade is adapted to be clamped between the cap and guard members of its holder; the longitudinal edge of the cap member contacting with the blade just to the rear of the cutting edge. When the blade shown by Figs. 1 and 2 is inserted in its holder, the longitudinal edgesof the cap member contact with the surface of the raised strips 21. These strips give added thickness and when clamped in the holder, are forced by the cap member to place the edge of the blade nearer to the guard member, thus decreasing the exposure of the edge of the blade, giving what is known as a low exposure. With this arrangement, what is known as a light or coarse .holder, then the edge of the blade will be spaced away from the guard and will present a high edge exposure. When used in this condition a close shave may be obtained. With this type of blade, it is seen that if the blade is placed in one position, a close shave may be obtained, but if the blade is turned over, a normal shave is obtained.

In the embodiment of the invention shown by Fig. 1, both shaving edges are affected alike by the addition of the strips of extra material. If, however, one strip is placed on each side of the blade and'adjacent' opposite cutting edges, as shown by Fig. 3, one edge of the blade is effective to give a close shave, and the other edge of the blade is efiective to give a normal shave. When the blade is placed in the razor, one strip is always in contact with one longitudinal edge of the cap member, and with that edge, as has previously been explained, a light or coarse shave is obtained. The other edge is not in contact with the longitudinal edge of the cap member, the raised strip being underneath so that a high exposure of the blade edge is obtained. When this blade isreversed, that is, turned over, the close shaving edge becomes the normal shaving edge and vice versa.

Obviously, a blade could be provided with only one raised strip 21, and this raised strip could be made thick enough so that when the blade is clamped in its holder with theraised strip in contact with the guard, then the tighter the blade is clamped in its holder, the more the edge of the blade will be positioned away from the guard giving an increased blade edge Y exposure which, when used, will give a close shave. When the raised portion is reversed to contact with the cap member of the holder, the pressure of the cap member against the raised strip would cause the edge to offer a low exposure and to give a coarse shave.

The raised strip, or strips, 21 may be made of rubber which yields in the clamping of the blade in the razor to give a. varying edge exposure depending upon the degree of clamping but without permitting objectionable looseness in the parts. The rubber strip would also act toabsorb vibration produced in the shaving operation and would be an effective shock absorber.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate an embodiment of the invention in which the raised strips 21 are of rubber and are placed transversely of the blade and at the ends of the cutting edges. The cap member of the holder will bear against the two strips 21 of this blade and cause the blade to give a. finer shave, when thestrips are in contact with the cap member. When the blade is turned over, so that the two strips 21 are not in contact with the cap member, the blade edges will have normal exposures. Another advantage of the construction shown by Fig. 4 is that when the blade is clamped in its holder, so that the two raised strips 21 are in contact with the cap member of the holder, and the strips are made of rubber, or other material having similar characteristics, the blade is yieldably supported in its holder, and the blade may vibrate between the two strips 21. Some users of safety razors prefer a vibratory edge and this form of blade would be satisfactory for such users.

Figs. 6, 7, and 8 illustrate embodiments of the invention similar to those shown by Figs. 1, 2 and 3 except that in these latter figures, the yielding raised portions of the blade are formed integral with the blade. Fig. 6 shows a razor blade with the two ribs 22 formed on one side of the blade. The ribs 21, when the blade is clamped in its holder, so that they are in longitudinal contact with the cap member, act to give a decreased edge exposure and a closer shave. When the blade is turned over, so that the longitudinal edge of the cap member is in contact with the other side of the blade which has no raised portions, the blade edges have normal exposures.

Fig. 8 shows a raised portion formed integral with the blade and on each side there of and adjacent opposite cutting edges.

The adjustment of the type of blade shown by Fig. 8 is exactly the same as that already explained in connection with Fig. 3.

Whereas one or more embodiments of the invention have been described for the purpose of illustration, it should be understood "that the invention is not limited tothe exact details described as many departures may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A safety razor blade having a longitudinal shaving edge and a strip of rubber arranged transversely of the blade and substantially at each end of said cuttin edge.

2. A safety razor having, in combination, cap and guard members provided with cooperating blade-shaping faces, a transversely flexible blade having plane faces bounded by sharpened longitudinal edges and unsharpened end edges, and a resilient strip secured to one face of the blade, parallel to and spaced within one edge thereof and adapted to space the cutting edge away from either the cap or guard member according to the position in which the blade is presented.

' Signed at Boston, Massachusetts, this 14th 

